Yoruba Male Ibeji or 'Twins' Figure

Draped in long strings of red and blue tubular beads, with a stack of rings at the neck

This male Ibeji or ‘twins’ figure is Yoruba, from Nigeria, West Africa, and dates to the 20th century. It is painted & carved wood & leather. Though the figures stand for infants who have passed, they are carved as adults in their prime, suggesting strength, vitality and fertility through broad shoulders for boys and full forms for girls. A dark, polished standing figure with a rounded striated crest and incised cheek marks. A bead collar and a thick band of rings circle the neck, while long strands of red and blue tube beads hang from the arms. It is 3 inches wide, 3 deep and 10.25 high.

The beads trail like a cape that never quite made it.